War Time

An Idea, Its History, Its Consequences

Mary L. Dudziak

Raises the question of what 'wartime' really is, and why we should think about its meaning in society today

Intersects topics across disciplines including history, anthropology, law, and policy

War Time

An Idea, Its History, Its Consequences

Mary L. Dudziak

Description

When is wartime? On the surface, it is a period of time in which a society is at war. But we now live in what President Obama has called "an age without surrender ceremonies," when it is no longer easy to distinguish between wartime and peacetime. In this inventive meditation on war, time, and the law, Mary Dudziak argues that wartime is not as discrete a time period as we like to think. Instead, America has been engaged in some form of ongoing overseas armed conflict for over a century. Meanwhile policy makers and the American public continue to view wars as exceptional events that eventually give way to normal peace times. This has two consequences: first, because war is thought to be exceptional, "wartime" remains a shorthand argument justifying extreme actions like torture and detention without trial; and second, ongoing warfare is enabled by the inattention of the American people. More disconnected than ever from the wars their nation is fighting, public disengagement leaves us without political restraints on the exercise of American war powers.

War Time

An Idea, Its History, Its Consequences

Mary L. Dudziak

Reviews and Awards

"Mary Dudziak's essential argument is persuasive and her contribution is significant. She helps explain why national security continues to have such influence on American politics, why the US continues to field such a large military establishment, and why this country exercises such influence and engages in such frequent interventions in world politics." - Journal of American History

War Time

An Idea, Its History, Its Consequences

Mary L. Dudziak

From Our Blog

By Mary L. Dudziak On 6 June 2014 at Normandy, President Barack Obama spoke movingly of the day that 'blood soaked the water, bombs broke the sky,' and 'entire companies' worth of men fell in minutes.' The 70th anniversary of D-Day was a moment to remember the heroes and commemorate the fallen.